<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Modern Milton by dumbassunderthemountain</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26282296">Modern Milton</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dumbassunderthemountain/pseuds/dumbassunderthemountain'>dumbassunderthemountain</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell, North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell | UK TV</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Time Travel, john comes to our time and is dazed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 07:01:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,462</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26282296</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dumbassunderthemountain/pseuds/dumbassunderthemountain</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After a mill accident John Thornton suddenly finds himself in a 21st century Milton. </p><p>Warnings: non graphic empty mill fire, minor head injury,</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>John Thornton (North and South)/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Modern Milton</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I am very much so not British and have only been in England for a about 15 hours and that was entirely inside Gatwick airport (I had 1 really long shitty 13 hour layover then a terrifyingly short one if that plane hadn’t been late, eek) so some of the words or general info on this might be wrong, I tried to google what I could. Also not totally sure what a Northern accent sounds like except that Rose Tyler told the 9th Doctor he had one</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>John Thornton was taking a final walk through of Marlborough Mills before heading home for the night. Something seemed off though John could not quite figure out what. As he approached the far side of the mill he began to hear a quite clunking. One of the machines had not properly been turned off. It was growing too dark to see inside the mill but with all the loose cotton in the air it was far too dangerous to light a lamp or candle. John reached down to pull the lever and stop the machine but it was jammed. After a few hard kicks from John the metal lever snapped into the off position turning off the machine. As the blades on the machine came to a stop and the metal collided a small spark was released, the highly flammable cotton air picked up the spark immediately flinging John backwards. </p><p>When John awoke sunlight was pouring through the windows of the mill. If the sun is up where are all my workers? John thought before noticing his surroundings. This was certainly Marlborough Mills yet it was very different. Everything was old and broken and dirty, all the machines were gone and the walls were covered in brightly colored paint and lude comments. John’s head throbbed as he slowly walked out of the mill confused as to how so much had changed so quickly. He could not have been out for more than a few hours and yet everything was different. Why would he be left to lay on the floor while so much had changed? His mother would never allow for such a thing. </p><p>He rubbed his head as he exited the doors of the mill heading to his house. He walked blindly not paying much attention until he went to walk up the steps to his home and felt no stairs under his feet. He looked up again to see a brick building that looked much like an extension of the mill where his house had stood. John stumbled backwards, away from the mill and what was once his home right into the street. </p><p>You were driving home from the airport after a rather annoying work trip to the company's headquarters in San Francisco. You were exhausted to say the least and only wanted to curl up in your own bed and fall into a long sleep. As you drove past the old abandoned cotton mill a man dressed in a suit stumbled backwards into the road. You honk your car horn and stomped on the breaks just barely stopping in time to not hit the man. He looked scared to you. Rolling down your window you yelled, “Get out of the road!” and honking at him again. </p><p>He looked dazed and confused but started to walk up to your window. “I-I do apologize but what, what happened to my mill? And what is this?” He asked gesturing to your car.</p><p>“What are you-” you began to angrily ask thinking the man was drunk or something before noticing the blood on his back collar. “Are you bleeding?”</p><p>“Yes but I need to know, my mill?”</p><p>“That’s not been a mill since the 60s’. You need a hospital, should I call someone?”</p><p>“No that doesn’t…” The man mumbled before collapsing to the ground. You got out of your car to check on him. He seemed to be out cold, he didn’t smell drunk and the back of his head was bleeding so you opened the back door to your car and used all of your strength to shove the man into the back seat, hoping he wouldn’t wake up before you reached the hospital. </p><p>At the hospital you pulled into the turn around and went to the front desk to explain the situation to the nurse. She sent two other nurses and gurney with you to get the man out of your car. Once he was successfully out of your car and being wheeled back to one of the rooms the nurse at the front desk came to talk to you. </p><p>“Thank you for bringing him in. What’s his name?” </p><p>“I don’t know. I only got like two sentences from him before he collapsed.”</p><p>“What did he say?”</p><p>“He was asking about that old mill on Marlborough Street, he was really confused asking what my car was, saying that the mill was his.”</p><p>“The big mill that’s been closed since my mum was in school? Sixty years ago? He thought it was his?” You only shrugged to the old nurse in response. “Well we’ll keep an eye on him, probably just a concussion should be out of here by the end of the day, could you stay here for a few hours?” </p><p>You groaned, “I just got back from a work trip to California. Can I just leave my number and come back if you need me?”</p><p>“I’m afraid not. The mill is private property, he was trespassing and got hurt, police may want to talk to both of you depending on his story.”</p><p>“Okay, let me go park my car.” You mumbled to the nurse walking back to your car. You take your time finding a parking spot before slowly making your way back inside the hospital. The nurse allows you to sit in a different less busy waiting area at least. Here you pull your feet up into the chair and begin playing on your phone. </p><p>Your mind keeps wandering to the mill and the stories you heard about it as a child. The cursed mill, haunted by its owner, a stern angry man who perished in a fire back in the 1850s’ or something like that. You began to google the backstory of the mill eventually coming across a newspaper article from exactly 166 years ago to the day. The article held a picture of the destroyed mill with the headline, “Marlborough Mill Destroyed, Owner Believed to have Perished in the Blaze”, at the end of the article was a photograph of the owner, a Mr. John Thornton who looked identical to the man you had just brought into the hospital. </p><p>Once the shock and confusion dissipated you shot up from your seat trying to find the room he was in. He was awake now staring out the window deep in thought. You knocked on the archway of the door getting his attention. “Hi, I’m (y/n). Do you remember me?...I uh almost hit you with my car outside the mill, then you collapsed and I brought you to the hospital.” </p><p>The man nodded his head, “Thank you for that...I need to send word to my mother,” The man began trying to get out of the hospital bed, you rushed forward putting your hand on his shoulder to force him to stay in the bed. </p><p>“I’m not sure you can. I think I know who you are but before I explain more I wanted to confirm it. Just two questions. What’s your name and what are the last few things you remember? I just want to help.”</p><p>“My name is John Thornton, I remember being in the mill walking around making sure everything was in order for the next day when...one of the machines was still going, the lever was jammed. I managed to unjam it but it...it sparked and...and the next thing is I’m waking up in the mill empty of all the machines, my house was gone and then you and your metal device you were in.”</p><p>“And um, when was that, like the date?” John looked at you confused, then repeated the date shown in the newspaper article. You took a deep breath pulling out your phone and handing it to the man. “This is called a phone, it does a lot of things but one of them is it can look stuff up like you’re in a library but all on this little glass box and it has newspaper articles in it too...I think this article may be about you. The picture at the bottom looks just like you and it fits your story.”</p><p>The man takes your phone slowly reading the article and looking at the pictures. He does this for many minutes seeming to read the article over and over again. “I do not understand. Why does it say I’m dead I’m right here! What day is it? How could they walk right past me in my own mill?”</p><p>“Shhh! You can’t yell or else the nurses will come and I won’t be able to help you. They aren’t going to be this helpful. They’ll probably lock you up or send you to the military. Just let me help you. It’s the same day of the month as this article but… the year...well it’s been 166 years to the day since that mill caught fire. I don’t think you were there for your workers to find. I think you just somehow appeared here in front of me.” You explain backing out the home screen to show John the current day according to your phone. “I prove it again with other calendars once they let you leave the room.” </p><p>John turned away from you and stared at the medical machines next him squeezing his eyes tightly shut. “No,” His voice cracking, “I believe you. The article, the mill, this hospital…”</p><p>The two of you sat in silence for a long time. John seemed to be taking in every single thing around him trying to make sense of it all. You continued googling the man in front of you trying to find out everything you could. There was not too much information on him, mostly just about being a mill owner, the fire, and where he was buried. You looked at the graves surrounding his based on the dates on the one beside his you figured it was his mother. “Is your mum’s name Hannah Thornton?” You quietly asked. John only nodded his head. “I uh, found her grave. Do you want to go there once they release you? I can drive you.”</p><p>“Yes...Thank you, where will I go then?” John whispered, seemingly to himself. </p><p>“If you want...I have a guest room. You can stay there for a few nights at least until you figure out something else.” </p><p>John smiled at you for the first time. “Thank you.”</p><p>“You’re welcome. Oh and when the nurse comes remember nothing about the mill fire and the 1800s. They’ll think you’ve gone mad. Just name and that you hit your head...outside the mill. It’s private property. You don’t need a trespassing charge on top of everything else you have to deal with.” You explained. John nodded his head in response. A few minutes later the nurse came in to talk to him. Upon checking on his head and getting his story she cleared him to leave. You walked with John out to your car opening the door for him. “Uh, it’s like a carriage that’s run by an engine in the front instead of horses.” You explain. John only nods getting into the car. </p><p>You drive in silence to his mother’s grave and go with him just far enough to make sure he finds it and warning him that his own grave is situated next to hers. According to the head stones she only survived two years after John’s death. You sat on a bench in front of the church waiting for him. You wanted to give him as much time as he needed. This must all be so much to take in. The different time period, his mother’s death. You were honestly surprised how well he was handling it. He certainly didn’t seem like the mean mill master from the ghost stories. </p><p>After over an hour John came walking back to you with red eyes. You didn’t say anything, only smiled and walked with him back to your car. The drive to your house was completely silent. Part of you wanted to point things out to him as you went down the road but decided there would be other times to do that. Right now he needed the contemplative silence. </p><p>You parked your car in front of your building and got out of your car walking around to the boot to get your luggage. “I just got back from a business trip. Haven’t been home in a week.” You say to explain the bag you were holding. </p><p>“What was the trip for?”</p><p>“Some annoying conference. The main headquarters is in America so I and a few people from my branch along with a bunch of other branches from around the world had to fly there and talk and pitch ideas. It was terrible.” </p><p>“And what is it that you do?” </p><p>“I make apps...So on the phone there are these things called applications shortened to apps that can do different things. Some allow you to search information like I showed you, others are games, there’s shopping. And it’s basically a bunch of numbers and letters combined in a certain way. I just sit on a machine that is a lot like a really big phone all day and write the numbers and stuff that make the app work. Does that make any sense?” You ask as you lead him up the stairs. </p><p>“A bit. Do you go to a factory for that machine?” </p><p>“No, I have two one is actually in this bag. Then there’s a bigger better one inside. Some people work in an office full of the machines, called computers, but I work from home. Well here we are.” You stop in front of your flat unlocking the door and leading him inside. He stares around at your small apartment. For the most part you didn’t think it looked too different than he was used to. The kitchen appliances might be a lot but it probably didn’t look too odd. “Okay so this is it. Living room, the rectangle on the wall is for watching stuff I’ll explain later, that desk over there is where I work everyday. If you see me there please be quiet. The kitchen and loo are the two rooms that have probably changed the most for you so let me put this down and I’ll explain.” You say leaving the room to put your bag down on your bed before returning. </p><p>John was still standing in front of the door in the dark. “I was going to light a lamp, but I could not see any.” </p><p>“Oh yeah, um so you just flip the switch on the wall behind you.”</p><p>John slowly moved the light switch staring in amazement at the lights on your ceiling. “These do not look like oil lamps”<br/>“They’re not. It’s electricity. I’ll pull up some videos for you explaining how all this stuff works sometime if you want. For now I was thinking about ordering some food. Like I said before, I haven’t been home in a week so I don’t have any food here. I’ll buy some tomorrow. I’ll get something traditional for you tonight. Lots of delivery food nowadays.”</p><p>“Thank you. Do you have any servants?”</p><p>“No. Only really rich people have those.”</p><p>“Your car? All your technology, the spare room, I thought you were?” </p><p>“No. A lot of those are pretty standard. I mean my job pays well but I’m still just middle class. Which means you have to know some things about the kitchen. This metal cabinet is the fridge, it keeps stuff cold and this top part is the freezer which is for frozen stuff. I’ll explain the other stuff later. Don’t want to overwhelm you too much. This sink has running water though.” You turn the handle letting the water flow out before shutting it off again. John slowly approached the sink looking at it carefully. There’s another one in loo. Follow me please. So the toilet, it flushes, make sure you flush it. Sink is basically the same as the kitchen. The shower and bathtub are a bit more complicated but you basically just turn the knob to choose your temperature and to turn it off.”</p><p>“You have running hot water?”</p><p>“Yes, but they charge you for it so please don’t run up my bill too much.”</p><p>“Of course. Hot running water...amazing.”</p><p>“Yeah...sorry I’m just  used to it. But you’re right. It is a great thing. Um, do you want to see your room now. It’s just across the hall. That one at the end there is mine.” You open the door to the guest room leading him in. “I’ll buy you a few pairs of clothes tomorrow. Other than that I think that’s the tour. Dinner?”</p><p>“Yes please.” </p><p> </p><p>----</p><p>The next morning John left his room rather late. He did not see the point of getting up. There was no mill to attend to, his mother was long dead along with his sister. What was even the point? When he finally did rise it was because of (y/n), the kind woman who helped him and ensured he had a place to sleep. He had no way to thank her for her kindness. All of his money would have been tied up in the mill or spent by Fanny and the world had changed too much for him to make any reasonable contribution now. <br/>John put his jacket back on and walked out into the living room. (y/n) was sitting at her desk, John could hear her quickly pressing buttons. He slowly approached from behind not wanting to disturb her but also rather curious about her job. From what he could see it seemed she was pressing buttons that looked like letters and those were appearing on the lit rectangle in front of her. The technology of today’s time truly was amazing. </p><p>You noticed John’s reflection in your computer screen and jumped from the surprise, swivelling around in your chair. “John! You startled me. I went out this morning. There’s some clothes for you in the bag on the counter as well as some toiletries, I know deodorant wasn’t a thing in your time but it is now, so I think you should wear it.. I wasn’t sure your size so just try them all on and I’ll exchange the ones that don’t fit for the right size tomorrow. If you’re willing to wait about half an hour I’ll make us lunch as well.”</p><p>“Of course, thank you, again for your hospitality. I do not know how I’ll ever be able to repay you.” </p><p>“No need. I wasn’t about to let you have such a hard day then leave you hospitalized or homeless. That’d be cruel. Besides you and your mill are kinda famous around here.”</p><p>“Famous?”</p><p>“Well kinda. Some people think the mill is haunted, by you specifically, which is obviously not true because you are in fact alive, but besides the point your accident at the mill was not the last so it’s the Cursed Mill. Basically it’s just a place for teenagers to sneak into get drunk and tell ghost stories.”</p><p>“That’s what became of my mill? And what of the others in Milton? Watson’s? Slickson’s?”</p><p>“They’re all out of business, have been for a while. Yours was the last to shut down and that was sixty years ago. Britain doesn’t really do cotton anymore.” </p><p>John backed up slowly sitting down on the couch. “There’s no cotton here?”</p><p>“Well there’s some just not really enough to matter. Here I pulled up an article about it. You can scroll up and down the article with this little roller on this, it’s called a mouse. I’ll start an early lunch.” You move out of your chair allowing John to sit down and read. </p><p>“What is a world war?” John asked after a few minutes. </p><p>“Just about what it sounds like. Although the first one was for the most part only Europe. They were bad. Especially the second. I’ll get some history books for you to fill in the gaps. But for now lunch.” You walk back into the living room holding two plates with sandwiches and crisps on them. John moves over the couch looking out the window as he eats. “It’s very polite of you, you know.”</p><p>“What is?” John asked. </p><p>“To not bring up that I am essentially wearing undergarments by your time’s standards. Women in your time wore big dresses and corsets and here I sit, in sweats and a t- shirt, about the same coverage as you have.”</p><p>John swallowed glancing at you for a moment. “Yes, it is rather...risque. When I first saw you I truly did not notice but later I only assumed that it was the standard considering the other women I saw in the hospital.”</p><p>“Yeah, actually these sweats are relaxing clothes, better clothes tend to be tighter.”</p><p>“Tighter?!”</p><p>You laughed at John’s surprise. “Yep. I’ll wear some in front of you soon enough. It’s one of the many things you’ll have to get used to.”</p><p>-----</p><p>After two weeks in the twenty-first century John finally felt like he was beginning to adapt. He had read every history book you brought him and watched every science video you showed. He Still preferred reading over watching anything and most shows he did not enjoy, but he had never been one for fiction in his time either. </p><p>The first time he saw you in skinny jeans his eyes nearly popped out of his head. He turned away from you as quickly as possible not wanting to gawk and reminding himself that this clothing was not improper. He saw it on the telly constantly. It was different seeing you in them though. </p><p>The two of you began to go on walks together around Milton. You did your best to avoid the old mill, not wanting to bring up old memories for John, you could tell he was terribly homesick. At first you stuck to the parks, you figured that parks probably weren’t too terribly different. John seemed to greatly enjoy sitting and enjoying nature with you. </p><p>The depression that John had felt when he first arrived had also begun to fade. He found his reason to get out of bed each morning, you. He greatly enjoyed each and every moment he spent with you whether it was learning about modern Milton or just spending time with you on the couch. His favorite memory with you was just two nights ago when you fell asleep on the couch beside him and fell onto his shoulder, cuddling into him in your sleep. Such behavior would never have been acceptable in his time but here it was perfectly fine. Secretly that was one of your favorite nights as well. </p><p>Tonight the two of you were sitting on the couch watching a Blue Planet when John grabbed the remote to pause the show. “Something wrong?” You asked. </p><p>“No, no. I just had a question for you.” You gestured for him to continue, wondering what was so important that he felt the need to pause the show. Usually he would just ask while it played. John fiddled with his hands and took a deep breath before speaking again. “I was curious to know, how do the people of your time go about courting someone?”</p><p>“Um, we ask them on a date, sort of like a romantic activity, and once you go on a few you’re dating and in a relationship. After that there is engagement then marriage...There is one bigger key difference though. In this time, waiting until marriage for...sex is rather uncommon.”</p><p>John looked the same as he did the first time he saw you in skinny jeans when you said those words except he was somehow blushing even more. It took all your strength to keep from giggling at him. You loved seeing this flustered side of him. </p><p>“Oh...So do you wait until engagement for such...activities.”</p><p>You could not help but laugh now shaking your head. “No, it’s usually after a few dates. It mostly depends on the people. Some people do wait until marriage. They’re rare but it does happen.”</p><p>“May I ask about you?”</p><p>“I think...usually about five dates I’d say and very few have made it that far.”</p><p>“But some have?”</p><p>“Yes...and to make you possibly think even less of me some were women. I can explain another time but it’s not illegal anymore. It’s legal to marry someone with the same gender as you.”</p><p>“I would never think less of you for that. Maybe before or when I first arrived I will admit, but now all of the changes Milton has undergone in the past 166 is staggering. I have come to accept a great many things in these past few weeks.”</p><p>“That’s good to know. May I ask why you asked?”</p><p>“All the help you have given me and the kindness you have shown to me. I am quite taken with you and while I have nothing to bring to a marriage besides my name, I was hoping that I might court you?” John asked nervously. </p><p>You smiled at him. “I like you too but with all the changes I think we should go really slow. I mean you’re lonely and I am the only person you know. I just want to make sure that you like me for more than being the only person you speak with. Though I do not currently know a way around that. Also some bad news. Since you are legally dead, you cannot be married in the eyes of the law, nor can you do a number of other things.”</p><p>John sat contemplating your words for a few moments. “(y/n) I promise you that I do not only wish to court you because you are the only person I know. It is because of your kind heart that I have fallen for you. Even if according to English law we could never be married, I doubt God would care.”</p><p>You smiled taking his hand. “Either way. Going slow and not talking about marriage anymore. Way too soon for that.”</p><p>“I apologize.”</p><p>“You’re still adjusting. I understand. Just future reference okay?” </p><p>“Does that mean you agree?” John asked. </p><p>“Yes it does.” John beamed at your reply. Moving closer to you. “I do not know how slow you wish for us to proceed but I would like you to know that my favorite night here was two nights ago when you fell asleep against me.”</p><p>“Are you asking to cuddle Mr. Thornton?” You ask jokingly leaning closer to him. </p><p>“Yes, I am.” He teased back snaking his arm around your shoulders as you snuggle into him.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>